Lorraine Kimsa
Theatre for Young People
EDUCATION PARTNERS
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Allen MacInnis
MANAGING DIRECTOR Nancy J. Webster
NOV. 12 to DEC. 31, 2006
STEPHEN FLAHERTY, LYRICS BY LYNN AHRENS
BOOK BY LYNN AHRENS AND STEPHEN FLAHERTY
CO-CONCEIVED BY LYNN AHRENS, STEPHEN FLAHERTY AND ERIC IDLE
MUSIC BY
BASED ON THE WORKS OF DR. SEUSS
DIRECTED BY
ALLEN MACINNIS
Study Guide
by Aida Jordão and Stephen Colella
Design and layout by Amy Cheng
THE STUDY GUIDE
Themes
Seussical and the Ontario Curriculum
1
Curriculum Connection: Choreography and Movement
Monkey Around
Find your Animal Twin
THE COMPANY
Cast
Creative Team
2
Curriculum Connection: Animals and Habitat
Find the Habitat
Living Things and their Habitats
THE PLAY
Synopsis
2
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About Dr. Seuss
How Seussical came to be
3
Curriculum Connection: Nature and Conservation
Ways to Protect Threatened Animals
Invisible Dangers
THE INTERPRETATION
A note from the Director
A note from the Musical Director
A note from the Costume Designer
A note from the Set and Props Designer
Characters
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Curriculum Connection: Musical Performance
Sheet music for “Oh, the Thinks you can Think”
Lyrics and Arrangement
Song Genres
4-7
10
11-12
13
Curriculum Connection: Community and Government
Children’s Rights
A Citizen’s Duties
Responsibility and Accountability
14-17
Curriculum Connection: Portraiture, Community
The Whos in your World
Curious Creatures
18-19
RESOURCES
20
8-9
LIVE THEATRE IS AN ACTIVE EXPERIENCE
GROUND RULES:
THEATRE IS A TWO-WAY EXCHANGE:
As members of the audience, you play an important part in the
success of a theatrical performance. Please review the following
theatre rules with your students prior to your LKTYP visit.
Actors are thrilled when the audience is
engaged and responsive. We want you to
laugh, cheer, clap and really enjoy your time at
the theatre. However, please be considerate
audience members. Talking, whispering and
excessive movement during a live performance
is distracting for the actors, and disruptive for
other audience members.
•
•
•
•
Food, drinks, candy and gum are not permitted in the theatre.
LKTYP is a nut-free zone. Many children have severe life-threatening
allergies; NO PEANUTS or NUT products may be brought to our
theatre.
No electronic devices are permitted in the theatre because they affect
our sound system. Photography, audio and video recording during a
performance is prohibited by the Canadian Theatre Agreement.
Students are not permitted to leave the theatre unless they are
accompanied by an adult.
SEASON PARTNERS
EDUCATION PARTNERS
Enhance your visit by encouraging your students
to look at different aspects of the production.
Before the show, identify tasks for your class.
Have one group of students looking at the
set, another listening for the music and sound
effects, a third watching the lighting and a fourth,
the costumes. Compare notes after the show
about what they observed.Your students will be
more informed and they’ll be surprised by how
much they noticed. Ask them to be prepared
with one question for the actors after the show.
Brainstorm with them about possible topics to
get the most out of the experience!
THE STUDY GUIDE: Themes, Seussicall and the Ontario Curriculum
THE STUDY GUIDE:
Themes
With our production of Seussical -- A Musical and this study guide we hope to explore the
main themes of the play that were first introduced in verse in Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hatches the
Egg (1940) and Horton Hears a Who! (1954):
“I meant what I said
and I said what I meant,
an elephant’s faithful
one hundred percent.”
and
“after all,
a person’s a person
no matter how small”.
These well-loved and meaningful rhymes have stood the test of time. Indeed, in our present day, when children are
unfortunately exposed to strife beyond their coping skills, the deceptively simple ideas defended in the Seuss books
can be guiding lights. We encourage teachers to use and adapt our study guide activities to contextualize and probe
classroom issues that consider the integrity of one’s word and the defense of human rights for everyone, including
children.
Seussical and the Ontario Curriculum
THIS STUDY GUIDE will help you to prepare your students to see the play and to work the
performance into your curriculum. In addition to the general areas listed below we have identified
curriculum expectations that relate directly to Seussical, some of which are grade specific. Often activities
will satisfy two or more expectations in content and form. For example, a drama activity can be used to explore
animal behaviour and a visual art activity can be used to identify community members. It is our objective to suggest
ideas for the creative, intellectual, social, physical and emotional development of your students. We believe that
drama, music and dance activities are vital to a child’s development!
In addition to DRAMA
and LANGUAGE ARTS
, Seussical -- A Musical directly relates to student
development in the areas of:
MUSIC
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
· Musical Performance
(Lyrics and Arrangement)
· Nature and Conservation
· Animals and Habitat
DANCE
SOCIAL STUDIES
· Choreography and Movement
· Community and Government
2
THE COMPANY: Cast and Creative Team
Synopsis
THE COMPANY
The Cast
The Creative Team
featuring:
ALLEN MACINNIS
ELIZABETH BAIRD
NICOLA PANTIN
MICHAEL GIANFRANCESCO
PHILLIP CLARKSON
LESLEY WILKINSON
GARTH LAMBERT
ROBERT HARDING
KINNON ELLIOTT
CARA HUNTER
CORRINE KOSLO
MICHAEL-LAMONT LYTLE
GEORGE MASSWOHL
Mayzie
Gertrude McFuzz
Cat in the Hat
Horton
with:
JORDAN BELL
MATTHEW BROWN
LORI NANCY KALAMANSKI
TONY LEPAGE
NATASHA O’BRIEN
JAMILLAH ROSS
JOSEPH SEVILLO
Wickersham 2
Wickersham 1
Jungle Girl 2
Wickersham 3
Jungle Girl 1
Sour Kangaroo
Jojo
Director
Musical Director/Keyboard 1
Choreographer
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Musician/Keyboard 2
Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
THE PLAY
Synopsis
Seussical - A Musical, an adaptation of the Broadway musical for
young audiences, brings together Dr Seuss’s much loved books,
Horton Hears a Who!, Horton Hatches the Egg, and the story of
Gertrude McFuzz. It centers on Horton the Elephant’s quest to
save the people of Whoville, who live on a tiny speck of dust.
The Cat in the Hat narrates the story of Horton and the other
characters in the Jungle of Nool.
The play begins with Horton splashing in a pool when he hears
a faint cry for help. It is coming from a speck of dust and no one
else can hear it. The animals of Nool make fun of Horton but he
will not ignore the Whos in Whoville, especially little Jojo who
becomes his friend. Horton places the speck of dust on a clover
but it is stolen by the evil eagle,Vlad Vladikoff and dropped in a
huge field of clover. While Horton desperately searches for his
clover, Gertrude McFuzz, who has a new tail like showy Mazie’s,
tries to get Horton’s attention. Mazie appears and convinces
Horton to sit on her egg. Horton stops searching for the Whos
and sits and sits. He is captured by hunters and sent to a circus.
Finally, Gertrude finds Horton and tells him she has found the
speck of dust with Whoville on it. But there is more trouble
when the animals of Nool put Horton on trial and threaten
to boil the speck of dust. Horton entreats the Whos to make
themselves heard, Jojo gives a great yell and the animals of Nool
finally hear the Whos. Horton hatches an elephant-bird and he
and Gertrude decide to bring it up together.
(l to r) Michael-Lamont Lytle and Joseph Sevillo
Photo: Daniel Alexander
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: About Dr. Seuss, How Seussicall came to be
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About Dr. Seuss
How Seussical came to be
The pen name Dr. Seuss was chosen by Theodor
Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) when he dropped out
of college to work in advertising, draw political
cartoons and write children’s books. His ironic
self-granted “doctorate” title is now known
around the world by adults and children alike. As
Dr. Seuss, he has been awarded a bevy of prizes
-- including seven honourary doctorates -- and it
comes as no surprise that his acceptance speeches
are always in verse. Although his political cartoons
were incisive, his advertisements inventive, and
his Hollywood screenplays successful, it is for his
children’s books that he is loved in 15 languages,
and for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.
When Toronto producer Garth Drabinsky
acquired the rights to the Dr. Seuss books in
1998, he invited the creators of Ragtime and My
Favourite Year to adapt the Seuss stories into a
musical. Composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist
Lynn Ahrens worked with Monty Python’s Eric Idle
to lift Dr. Seuss’s words and images off the page.
Initially the play was a full-length musical starring
Rosie O’Donnell as the Cat in the Hat but later
was trimmed down to a more effective version
for young audiences. It is this version that we are
producing at LKTYP. Although the main story is
based on Horton Hears a Who! and Horton Hatches
the Egg, Seussical -- A Musical is full of verses from
many wonderful rhyming stories of Dr. Seuss.
Since his first published book in 1937, And to
Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, Dr. Seuss has
divided his literary output into two categories:
the Big Books and the Beginner Readers. The Big
Books, like the Horton stories, have messages
with a moral and ethical intent. They include Yertle
the Turtle, an anti-fascist tale of a Hitler-like turtle
despot, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, a hymn to
anti-commercialism, and The Lorax, an ecological
manifesto. The Beginner Readers include the
extremely popular The Cat in the Hat and Green
Eggs and Ham and they are written to make
reading fun. It is no wonder that Dr. Seuss is a
favourite with kindergarten and primary school
teachers and children’s librarians, and also with
social activists.
In an introduction to The Lorax, Pete Seeger
writes that Dr. Seuss is one of the most important
Americans of the twentieth century. In his 44
books he has entreated generations of children to
act against injustice and have fun doing it! From his
moving book about environmental destruction,
“UNLESS someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.” - The Lorax
Ask your students to listen for and identify lines
from:
The Butter Battle Book
Did I Ever Tell you How Lucky you Are?
Green Eggs and Ham
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
If I Ran the Zoo
I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew
McElligot’s Pool
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
Oh, the Places You’ll Go
Oh, the Thinks you can Think
The Lorax
The Sneeches
Yertle the Turtle
3
4
THE INTERPRETATION: A note from the Director and the Musical Director
THE INTERPRETATION
A note from the Director
A note from the Musical Director
The children’s literature produced by Theodor
Geisel (Doctor Seuss) is, in spite of its zany
humour and made-up words, remarkable for its
pro-active vision of living peaceably in the world.
Since the 1940s, Seuss’s stories – like The Lorax,
The Sneetches, Yertle the Turtle, and Horton Hears
a Who! – continue to this day to press young
readers to consider racism, intolerance, human
rights, protection of the planet, and personal
freedom. And all within colourful, cheery
illustrations and infectious, unrelenting rhyming!
The original production of Seussical --The Musical
was for a large musical ensemble. It has been
a very interesting and creative challenge to
determine how to capture the character of each
song and translate that into arrangements for
two musicians playing on the Kurzweil K2500 and
K2600 keyboards.
The musical based on the works of Dr. Seuss
had a famously promising workshop in Toronto
in 1999 in advance of its Broadway premiere.
The musical’s authors, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen
Flaherty, have recently confided that something
went amiss between Toronto and New York.
The Broadway production didn’t live up to
the promise of the Toronto workshop. Many
people adored the show but most agree it was
overstuffed with too much of a good thing.
Our production is the shortened version Ahrens
and Flaherty developed with Jeff Church for
The Coterie Theatre for children in Kansas City.
I think this smaller Seussical allows the serious
side of the woven Seuss stories to come through
without losing the fun of the original sources.
Inside the main story of Horton’s quest to
save the tiny planet of Who – while protecting
Mayzie’s abandoned egg – is a stirring lesson
in standing up for the rights of all living things.
And though the play features fantastic music and
hilarious lyrics, it is this serious side of Seuss that
drew me to programming it in our 41st season. It
is also why the theme of the 2006/2007 season is
“living well together”.
Allen MacInnis
I decided that Keyboard One would be the
Rhythm Section -- piano, guitar, bass, drums
-- and that Keyboard Two would be the Colour
-- woodwinds, brass, strings and percussion. While
listening to the original Broadway Cast Recordings
I would note the instruments that were essential
to creating that song and orchestrate them for
Key 1 and Key 2.
The next step was to program these instruments
for the keyboards -- keeping in mind that
there are only 88 keys on the keyboard and
the keyboard player only has two hands. Using
different techniques of layering sounds and
splitting the keyboard into zones, I was able to
create different ensembles of instruments, which
hopefully captures the full colour of these songs.
‘Hope you enjoy the show!
Elizabeth Baird
THE INTERPRETATION: A note from the Costume Designer
THE INTERPRETATION
A note from the Costume Designer
For Seussical, director Allen MacInnis and I wanted to continue the concept we started last year
with Bunnicula of using human clothing to suggest animals. This led me, from my research of Dr.
Seuss’s strange illustrations of the various characters in the script, to look at shape-changing
clothing that best depicted them, while still remaining somewhat true to his drawings.
Hence, we have The Cat in the Hat,
as the Master of Ceremonies for
the play, wearing a tail-coat, tux shirt
and bow-tie, along with the famous
hat! Horton, the elephant becomes a
sort of janitor look in grey coveralls,
and a foreign legion cap with ear
flaps, and a long tie to represent his
trunk. Gertrude, the frumpy bird,
wears a 1960’s “Bubble Dress” that
gives a large bulbous shape out of
which she grows a marvelous tail.
The Wickersham trio of monkeys are
costumed as somewhat dishevelled
rap-singing private school boys in long
untucked shirts, wired at the back to
bob around as their tails. Mayzie, the
beautiful bird, wears spandex leggings
under an open front hoop cage,
covered in feathers of peacock tones,
and a fitted jacket and headress, also
magnificently plumed. The Whos are
a culture of “little people”, who live
in an orange coloured world, so it
becomes their favourite colour of
fashion choice. JoJo becomes Mr. and
Mrs. Mayor’s son, so is costumed in an
orange striped rugby shirt. Dr. Seuss
drew the Whos with only 3 large
hairs on their heads, so that is how I
made them look.
It has been great fun to work on the
costumes for Seussical....enjoy!
Phillip Clarkson
Mayzie costume in progress
Costume design by Phillip Clarkson
Photo: Amy Cheng
5
6
THE INTERPRETATION: A note from the Set and Props Designer
THE INTERPRETATION
A note from the Set and Props Designer
The set design for Seussical is inspired by the
illustrations from Dr. Seuss’s books, and by the
graphic, whimsical paper cutouts by the artist
Matisse. The clean, bold shapes and strong
colours I used in the set suggest the pop art
movement of the 1960’s, combined with organic
shapes and simple textures. We created a
proscenium arch, which is like a picture frame for
the stage. This helps facilitate the requirements
of a musical, allowing actors and set pieces
to appear and disappear into the wings from
different areas, behind two sets of flats. The flats
have cut out polka dots, which light up from
behind. The simple colour palette relates to the
way Dr. Seuss’s books were illustrated, often
using only two or three colours. The director,
costume designer, lighting designer and myself
have collaborated together to make sure that all
of our ideas relate and compliment each other
and create a unified look for the production.
Michael Gianfrancesco
Props design by Michael Gianfrancesco
Photo: Amy Cheng
Set design by Michael Gianfrancesco
Photo: Amy Cheng
THE INTERPRETATION: Characters
CHARACTERS
Ask your students to identify the costume pieces that give the character animal traits.
See pages 10, 12, 13, 15, 17 for more character designs and descriptions.
THE CAT IN THE HAT as the Master of Ceremonies,
is the narrator of the story. He also plays Dr. Dake, the
Pool Boy, the Grinch and Yertle the Turtle. He befriends
Jojo and encourages him to be himself and use his
imagination. He’s from The Cat in The Hat and The Cat in
the Hat Comes Back.
HORTON THE ELEPHANT is the hero of the story;
he protects the Whos and hatches Mayzie’s egg. He’s
from Horton Hatches the Egg and Horton Hears a
Who!
7
8
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: “Oh, the Thinks you can Think”
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Musical
Performance
“Oh, the Thinks you can Think” (GRADES 2 - 6)
We advise teachers to acquire the CD of Seussical the Musical to study the
arrangements and lyrics.
We have provided sheet music for an excerpt of “Oh, the Thinks you can
Think” on this page. Learn the song with your class.
Reprinted with the Permission of Music Theatre International
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Lyrics and Arrangement, Song Genres
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Lyrics and Arrangement (GRADES 3 - 4)
The rhymes of Dr. Seuss lend themselves beautifully to musical adaptation. At the same time, creating a tune for wellloved and remembered verses can change the way you say the poems and make you understand the lyrics in a different
way.
Be a “Broadway” composer:
Be a “Broadway” lyricist:
1. In small groups (3 or 4
students) choose a favourite
rhyming quatrain - 4 lines
- from a Dr. Seuss book and
create an original melody to
accompany the words.
2. Once the melody has been
created, practice singing it out
loud in your group and present
it to the class or teacher.
1. In small groups, choose
a favourite character or
characters from Seussical.
Using a Dr. Seuss writing style,
write an original quatrain - 4
lines - that describes them.
2. Recite it for the class or
teacher.
...and for the really ambitious...
1. Write an original melody
to accompany your lyric.
2. Practice singing it out loud
in your group and present
it to the class or teacher.
“Broadway” activities by Shawn McCarthy
Song Genres (GRADES 3 - 4)
The music in Seussical -- A Musical is presented in a variety of styles to establish character types and create a mood
for each scene. Try the following activities to explore the songs in the play.
a) Characters
The Sour Kangaroo and the Wickersham Brothers sing in the Motown style while Gertrude and Jojo tend to sing
ballads. Listen to the songs and identify the character traits that make the song style appropriate to Horton and
Maizie, or the Cat in the Hat.
b) Mood
Play excerpts from the songs and brainstorm emotion words for each one. How does the musical style help to
establish a specific feeling? Is it the rhythm or the tempo that decides whether the song is cheerful or melancholy?
How does the musical style define place and time?
Match the song to the genre:
Songs
Genres
Solla Sollew
Monkey Around
Alone in the Universe
Biggest Blame Fool
Amayzing Mayzie
Aretha Franklin-esque Motown
Lullaby
Latin pop
Funk Shaft style
Broadway-style ballad
9
10
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Monkey Around, Find your Animal Twin
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Choreography and
Movement
Monkey Around (GRADES 5 - 6)
Using the song “Monkey Around” study the rhythms of funk and hip
hop that move through the song. How does the Shaft style of funk
shift into hip hop? Ask your students to choreograph a few bars
with hip hop moves.
Find your Animal Twin (GRADES 2 - 4)
1. Create two card sets, A and B, with the same Seussical animal names (e.g. two cards with Horton, two cards with
Mayzie, etc.).
2. Divide the class in two groups, A and B.
3. Ask the students in group A to take a card from set A; ask the students in group B to take a card from set B.
4. Students move around the room exploring the movements of their Seussical animal.
5. Students find the other student with the same animal characteristics.
6. In pairs, students explore their animals’ body language.
MAYZIE convinces Horton to sit on her
GERTRUDE M CFUZZ tries to get Horton’s
egg and goes on holiday to Palm Beach.
She’s from Horton Hatches the Egg.
attention with a sensational (and huge) tail,
but ultimately attracts him by being herself.
She’s from Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories,
“Gertrude McFuzz”.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Find the Habitat
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Animals and
Habitat
Find the Habitat (GRADES 2 - 3)
1. There are many creatures, both real and fictitious, that are seen or
mentioned in Seussical. From the list of Seussical habitats below, ask
them to find the best place for each animal or plant to dwell.
Seussical Plants and Animals
Seussical Habitats
Cat
Ga-zat
Elephant
Bird
Kangaroo
Monkey
Minnows
Whales
Fish
Night Owl
Bees
Dogs
Turtle
Elephant-bird
Mouse
Fox
Clover
Pillberry Bush
House
Forest
Jungle
Desert of Dreze
Mountains
Nest
Beaches
The lake
The sea
McElligot’s Pool
River Walloo
2. Once a habitat has been assigned to every plant and animal, discuss
what physical and behavioural characteristics the animals possess
that led to their decision.
3. Have the students choose one of the habitats from the list. Based
on the habitat, have them draw their own Seuss plant or animal. Ask
them to explain how the characteristics they gave their creation
could help or hinder them in their habitat.
4. Now that the students have a plant or animal in a habitat, have them
discuss what people could do to make that habitat better or worse
for their creature. How would that change affect other creatures
living in the habitat?
11
12
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Living Things and their Habitats
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Animals and
Habitat
Living Things and their Habitats (GRADES 2 - 4)
1. Have students work in small groups to select a Seussical habitat
from the previous page. If your students have invented a Seussical
animal or plant, you can group them based on those habitats. If
your students haven’t invented their own animal, assign each one
an animal mentioned in Seussical and group them based on habitat.
2. Ask your students to improvise as their plant or animal: how they
move around or exist in their space, how they get sustenance
and where they live. Once they have established themselves,
encourage them to interact with the other “animals” or “plants” in
their habitat.
•
•
•
•
•
•
JUNGLE GIRL (ZEBRA), the
Jungle Girls are Jungle of Nool
imaginary animals; they sing backup
for the other characters.
How would the animal/plant feel in its habitat? Strong? Comfortable?
Afraid?
How did your animal/plant behave towards others? Shy? Aggressive?
Curious?
Did your animal/plant fit into your habitat the way you originally thought
that it would?
What were the advantages of having some of the other plants/animals in
your habitat?
What about your animal/plant made it particularly well adapted to
where it lived?
What portions of your habitat are needed for your creature to survive?
What is necessary for that portion of the habitat to remain in existence?
What happens if those portions of the habitat vanish?
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Ways to Protect Threatened Animals, Invisible Dangers
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Nature and
Conservation
Ways to Protect Threatened Animals (GRADE 3)
By putting them in a place he can watch over them, Horton makes sure
that the Whos are safe. What are some of the ways that humans can
help to protect other species of animals? If humans move them to a new
habitat, how does that affect the animal and how will it affect the other
animals left in the habitat and the habitat itself?
•
•
What are some ways that humans can protect the entire habitat that
animals live in?
What different kinds of habitats should humans look to preserve and why?
Invisible Dangers (GRADE 4)
When Horton discovers the Whos, no one believes him because he can’t prove that they exist. Only by
speaking up for themselves at the very last second are the Whos able to save themselves. But what happens
when there is no evidence that something bad might be happening? How do we decide how to act?
While the threat to the Whos was very immediate and visible, how do we learn to protect our world when it
comes to threats we can’t see?
Questions for the class to discuss or debate might be:
•
•
•
•
What is pollution? How many different kinds of
pollution can you name? Is pollution there even if we
can’t see it?
What is global warming? Are humans responsible or is
it a natural phenomenon? How can we tell?
What could cause a species to become extinct? What
could cause a species to overpopulate?
If your students have read Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, ask
what the numerous effects of cutting down the Truffula
trees were. What could the Once-ler have done
differently?
JUNGLE GIRL (GAZELLE),
the Jungle Girls are Jungle of
Nool imaginary animals; they sing
backup for the other characters.
13
14
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Children’s Rights
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Community and
Government
Children’s Rights (GRADE 5)
“A person’s a person no matter how small” - Horton the Elephant
Declaration of the Rights of the Child
In 1989 the UN Office of the High Commisioner for Human Rights established
the Convention on the Rights of the Child.This followed the groundbreaking
1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child that was based on ten basic
principles. These are part of many countries’ individual Charter of Rights.
However, in many countries of the world these rights are not enforced.
Here is a summary of the ten Rights of the Child:
1.1. Every child, without any exception whatsoever, shall be entitled to these rights.
2. The child shall enjoy special protection, and shall be given opportunities and facilities, by law and
by other means, to enable her/him to develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and
socially in a healthy and normal manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity.
3. The child shall be entitled from her/his birth to a name and a nationality.
4.
The child shall enjoy the benefits of social security; he/she shall have the right to adequate
nutrition, housing, recreation and medical services.
5.
The child who has a physical, mental or social disability shall be given the special treatment,
education and care required by her/his particular condition.
6. The child, for the full and harmonious development of her/his personality, needs love and
understanding.
7. The child is entitled to receive education, which shall be free and compulsory, at least in the
elementary stages; the child shall have full opportunity for play and recreation.
8. The child shall in all circumstances be among the first to receive protection and relief.
9. The child shall be protected against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation. He/she
shall not be the subject of traffic, in any form and shall not be admitted to employment
before an appropriate minimum age.
10. The child shall be protected from racial, religious and any other form of discrimination.
He/she shall be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples and peace.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Children’s Rights
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Children’s Rights (GRADES 5 - 8)
1. Study the list with your students and determine if these rights are
protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom
http://lois.justice.gc.ca/cgi-bin/notice.pl?redirect=/en/charter/
index.html
2. Discuss each one and brainstorm ways that a right can be protected.
For example, recess times ensure that, “The child shall have full
opportunity for play and recreation”.
3. How does Seussical -- A Musical reinforce the Rights of Children and human beings?
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•
•
Why is it so difficult for Horton to convince the creatures in the Jungle of Nool that the Whos exist and must be
saved?
Do we have the same difficulty understanding the wars and crimes that ravage societies far from our own?
How can we make “out of sight, out of mind” become more of a local concern?
4. Read If the World were a Village and discuss it with your class. Why is there such inequality in the world?
Brainstorm with your students.
5. Read the following Dr. Seuss books and identify
the social issues that are introduced and defended:
The Butter Battle Book
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
The Lorax
The Sneeches
Yertle the Turtle
THE WICKERSHAM BROTHERS are a gang
of monkeys who steal Horton’s clover and
throw it in the clover field. They’re from Horton
Hears a Who!
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: A Citizen’s Duties, Responsibility and Accountability
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Community and
Government
“I meant what I said
and I said what I meant,
an elephant’s faithful
one hundred percent.” - Horton the Elephant
A Citizen’s Duties (GRADES 5 - 8)
If our democratic system ensures that certain human rights are protected, it also demands certain duties from
its citizens. Ask your students to research the duties of being a Canadian Citizen. Discuss some of these duties.
•
•
•
Are they reasonable?
Are they difficult to carry out?
Which duties are the ones most often ignored?
Responsibility and Accountability (GRADES 5 - 8)
Horton promises to care for Mayzie’s egg and keeps his promise. Discuss with your students the importance of
keeping one’s word.
•
•
Is this difficult to do?
Why are so many promises broken and so many responsibilities ignored? Are people accountable for their actions?
Why or why not?
The scenes in Seussical -- A Musical which are from Horton Hatches the Egg place the problem of caring for an
unborn child and infant at centrestage. We are perhaps more familiar with the scenario of the single mother
abandoned by a deadbeat dad but in a clever reversal, Dr. Seuss creates a male character who is responsible
beyond expectations. For his faithful hatching job, he is rewarded with a baby that looks like him. In the musical,
a further commitment is made when Horton and Gertrude decide to raise the baby together. Mayzie, the
cranky, vain and irresponsible bird is left out in the cold.
Ask your students to discuss the moral implications of the characters’ actions.
•
•
What character traits are necessary to guide the actions of each one?
What are the consequences they endure for their pains?
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: Characters
JOJO is a little boy Who; he hangs out with the Cat in
the Hat, following the story and then becoming a part of
it. He’s from Horton Hears a Who!
THE SOUR KANGAROO can’t hear the Whos on
their speck of dust on the clover; she mocks Horton
and leads the other animals in the Jungle of Nool
against him. She’s from Horton Hears a Who!
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: The Whos in Your World, Curious creatures
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
CURRICULUM
CONNECTION:
Portraiture
Community
The Whos in Your World (GRADES 2 - 8)
Our season theme is “living well together” and to do this, we must feel
compassion for people we know and people we don’t know. But, even if we
want to care about everyone, we can’t be personally connected to everyone
in a big city like Toronto. Indeed, there are many people who we see everyday
but don’t know anything about. We sometimes wonder about the people we
don’t know in our communities. What’s important to them? Where do they
come from? Where are they going to?
1. Ask your students to identify someone in your school or neighbourhood
that they don’t know.
2. Encourage them to make a list of questions that they’d like to ask this
person, if they had the chance. (For example, what’s your favourite colour? How many
brothers and sisters do you have? What’s your favourite food? What do you like to do?)
3. Using the template on the next page, ask your students to draw a picture
of this person and write the questions they would ask this person on
the body of the figure. (Remind your students to include specific traits like glasses, a scarf, a
piercing, a beard, etc.)
4. Ask your students to cut out their drawing, including the neck and
shoulders, and share their Who with the class.
Because we would like to know the Whos in your
World, bring the drawing with you to the theatre. We
will put up the pictures of your Whos in our lobby.
Curious creatures (GRADES 2 - 8)
Dr. Seuss is known for creating incredible imaginary animals and plants.You and your class can create collective
imaginary animals with this activity. All you need is paper and pencil.
Students work in groups of three:
1. Fold a piece of paper into three sections horizontally so that you only see one
third of the page.
2. The first student draws a head on the top third and continues drawing a bit onto
the middle third.
3. Refold the paper so that the second student can see only a bit drawn on the middle section of the paper.
4. The second student draws the torso and continues the drawing a bit onto the
bottom third of the paper.
5. In the same way, the third student draws the bottom half of the animal.
6. Open up the paper to see the incredible new animal
7. Ask your students to name the animal and tell a story about it.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES: The Whos in your World Template
THE WHOS IN YOUR WORLD
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RESOURCES
RESOURCES
Seussical and Dr. Seuss
Ahrens, Lynn; Stephen Flaherty; Eric Idle. Seussical the Musical. New York: Music Theatre International, 1998.
Ahrens, Lynn with Stephen Flaherty. “There’s Another Think There!” American Theatre, October 2005.
Kathleen Krull, The Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss, Random House, 2004.
Chronological list of Dr. Seuss books in Seussical -- A Musical
Horton Hatches the Egg,1940
McElligot’s Pool, 1947
Horton Hears A Who!, 1954
If I Ran The Circus, 1956
The Cat In The Hat, 1957
How The Grinch Stole Christmas, 1957
Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories (Gertrude McFuzz), 1958
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, 1960
Green Eggs And Ham, 1960
The Sneeches and Other Stories, 1961
I Had Trouble In Getting To Solla Sollew, 1965
The Lorax, 1971
Did I Ever Tell you How Lucky you Are?, 1973
Oh, The Thinks You Can Think!, 1975
The Butter Battle Book, 1984
Oh, the Places You’ll Go!, 1990
The official Seuss website (Random House and Dr. Seuss Enterprises)
http://www.seussville.com
Dr. Seuss National Memorial, Springfield, Massachusetts:
http://www.catinthehat.org
Seuss Teacher Resources (lesson plans and hand-outs):
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/seuss.htm
http://atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Dr__Seuss/
http://www.k-state.edu/english/nelp/seuss/
Related Themes
Smith, David J. If the World were a Village: A Book about the World’s People, Kids Can Press, 2002.
Declaration of the Rights of the Child
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/25.htm
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom
http://lois.justice.gc.ca/cgi-bin/notice.pl?redirect=/en/charter/index.html
NOTES
NOTES
Arts Impact: Making a difference in the lives of students
LKTYP is proud to have Great-West Life, London Life and Canada Life as lead sponsors for its Arts Impact program,
which provides opportunities for schools in low-income areas of Toronto to participate in quality arts education. Arts Impact’s
goal is to deepen students’ understanding of theatre, allowing them to be inspired by the material presented on stage and to
think in ways that challenge their own perceptions.
Connections: Addressing the pattern of poverty
There is empirical evidence that children who live in poverty are at greater
risk of dropping out of school. Studies have also proven that exposure to
arts improves scholastic ability and attendance.Thanks to the generosity
of CIBC World Markets Children’s Miracle Foundation, LKTYP
can offer special subsidized tickets to qualifying schools.
21
YPT (now Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People) was founded
by Susan Rubes to give children a chance to experience professional
theatre created especially for them. LKTYP has been making a
contribution to the healthy development of youth in Ontario for 41
wonderful years.
It seems to me, that when children imagine something, it isn’t less
important to them because it isn’t real. Children can make imagined experience real experience. It is for this
reason, that I am certain of theatre’s ability to have a lasting effect on their intellectual, emotional, social, and
spiritual development. Studies about the impact of the arts support this. Increased cognitive skills, advancement
in adaptive social behaviour, expanded communication and problem-solving abilities, and a decrease in racism
and delinquency are some of the effects that research has linked to the impact of the arts and arts education on
young people. Theatre for children truly is life-changing.
Allen MacInnis
Artistic Director
Educational Services Department
Aida Jordão, Manager
Wayne Fairhead, Consultant
Amy Cheng, Assistant
416 363-5131 x230 or 254
[email protected]
SEASON MEDIA PARTNERS
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People
165 Front Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 3Z4
416 862-2222
www.lktyp.ca
GOVERNMENT AND FOUNDATION PARTNERS